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Tampa, FL Aug. 18 -23, 2009; Tampa PAC
Topic Started: Jan 28 2009, 09:18 AM (2,108 Views)
mouser
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August 18-23, 2009

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Tampa Performing Arts Center
1010 N W C Macinnes Pl
Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: (813) 222-1000


TICKETS: $39.50-$72.50

8/18 @ 7:30pm
8/19 @ 7:30pm
8/20 @ 7:30pm
8/21 @ 8pm
8/22 @ 2pm & 8pm
8/23 @ 2pm


SEATING CAPACITY: 2610

SEATING CHART :

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THE VENUE :


Posted Image The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center opened its doors in July, 1987, and in the last 20 years has welcomed 10 million guests!

TBPAC is located downtown on a picturesque nine-acre site along the east bank of the Hillsborough River. As the largest performing arts complex south of the Kennedy Center, the 335,000 square-foot TBPAC provides an environment for a wide variety of world-class events. It boasts one of the nation's leading Broadway series and is nationally respected for producing grand opera, as well as presenting a wide variety of concerts, performances and events.

The performing arts complex consists of five distinct theaters, a performing arts Conservatory, a rehearsal hall, boutiques, and three on-site restaurants and banquet facilities. The five individual theaters at TBPAC are Carol Morsani Hall (2,610 seats), Ferguson Hall (1,042 seats), the Jaeb Theater (268 seats), the TECO Energy Foundation Theater (250 seats) and the Shimberg Playhouse (130 seats).

With the addition of the Patel Conservatory, TBPAC added 45,000-square-feet for its extensive education programs. In 2007-2008, the Conservatory served more than 52,000 students with more than 2,700 education on-site activites, including classes. The Conservatory features 20 studios, including two dance studios with sprung floors, a sound/lighting laboratory, technical theater workshop, rehearsal hall, costume shop, isolation/sound booth, state-of-the-art black box theater and media arts/TV studio.



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Carol Morsani Hall - Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center was built in 1968 by Craig Quaid. The owner went to a theatre in England one summer and liked it so much he based his theater on it. Carol Morsani Hall - Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center has established itself as one of the most well-known halls around the metropolitan area to come watch plays.

Posted Imagecourtesy of www.theseats.com/contentimages/venue.jpg

DIRECTIONS:

If you are traveling north on I-275, take the Ashley Street/West Tampa Exit #44 (old exit 25) to downtown. Once on Ashley Drive, go to the first traffic light and turn right on Tyler Street and go a half-block to The Center.

If you are traveling south on I-275, take the Downtown East-West Exit #45A to downtown. Please note that the exit point for Downtown East-West Exit 45A is well in advance of the previous Ashley Drive Exit #44. Follow the Ashley Drive sign. Turn right on Tyler street and go a half-block to The Center.

From the Orlando-Lakeland area, take I-4 west to I-275 South and take the Downtown East/West Exit #45A.

From I-75 North or South, take I-4 West to Tampa then to I-275 South. Take the Downtown East/West Exit #45A.

If you are coming via Bayshore Boulevard, go over the Platt Street bridge and turn left on Florida Avenue. Go straight 9 blocks, turn left on Tyler Street and drive three-and-a-half blocks to The Center.

From the Crosstown or Lee Roy Selmon Expressway east-bound, take Kennedy Boulevard and turn right on to Florida Avenue. Turn left on Tyler Street and go three-and-a-half blocks to The Center.


RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS :

http://www.mytravelguide.com/hotels/near-77933305-United_States_Florida_Tampa_Tampa_Bay_Performing_Arts_Center_hotels.html
Hotels
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=tampa+performing+arts+center+tampa&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title Restaurants


POINTS OF INTERESTS:

1. BuschGardens

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Busch Gardens Africa (also known as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay) is a 335 acre 19th century African-themed park located in Tampa, Florida. It opened on March 31, 1959 as an admission-free hospitality facility for the Tampa Anheuser-Busch brewery on the grounds of the manufacturing plant. Visitors could watch animal acts in a tropical setting and before leaving the grounds enter a beer garden offering free Busch beer to drink.

After the manufacturing plant closed down some years later, Busch Gardens focused progressively on its tropical landscape, exotic animals, and amusements to draw visitors. Busch Gardens began charging admission as the entertainment became more complex, with extra fees for the thrill rides, such as the roller coasters for which Busch Gardens is now known.

Currently Busch Gardens Africa competes with other such parks in Florida and charges comparable fees. Beer is no longer manufactured there. According to the web site of Anheuser-Busch Companies, the parent company focuses on beer, adventure park entertainment, and packaging.[1] Busch Entertainment Corporation is the company subsidiary that runs the Busch entertainment parks and claims that it is one of the largest adventure park operators in the United States.

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2. MOSI ( Museum of Science and Industry )

4801 E. Fowler Avenue - Tampa, Florida 33617
(813) 987-6100

Posted Imagecourtesy of www.bigmoviezone.com

MOSI Operating Hours:
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Open 365 days per year

Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry, affectionately known as MOSI, is the largest science center in the south at over 300,000 square feet. In addition to being home to Florida’s only IMAX Dome Theatre, MOSI also boasts Kids in Charge!, the newest and largest children’s science center in the United States.

Situated on a 74-acre plot of land across the street from the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida, MOSI's permanent exhibits include Disasterville, featuring WeatherQuest; The Amazing You, a presentation on medical health sponsored by Metropolitan Life Foundation, and Our Place in the Universe.

Museum Features

Posted Imagecourtesy of flickr.com

Kids In Charge!, designed specifically for children 12 and under, emphasizes the value of learning through play by bringing together science, creative thinking and imagination.

The Amazing You, sponsored by the Metropolitan Life Foundation, takes guests on a tour of the human body, starting at the DNA level and including everything from cells to organs to individuals.

Verizon Challenger Learning Center, part of an international network of centers established by families of the Challenger crew, this living memorial to the crew of the shuttle orbiter features a space vehicle and a mission control in which guests assume roles of astronauts and engineers at 12 interactive work stations.

Disasterville, featuring Bay News 9 WeatherQuest, boasts 10,000 square feet of interactive exhibits on the science of natural disasters, covering floods, hail storms, hurricanes, lightening, tornados, wildfires, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis.

Gulf Coast Hurricane allows guests to experience the impact of 74 mph hurricane force winds and offers tips on how to prepare for a tropical storm.

Demystifying India: The Exhibition, part of a large-scale education initiative called Demystifying India, offers insight into Indian culture.

Our Place in the Universe: An Exhibition on Space, Flight and Beyond, a 5,000-square-foot exhibit, focuses on space exploration and astronomy as well as technological advances in aviation.

MOSI also offers a Science-To-Go Store, the Saunders Planetarium, the Science Works Theater, the Historic Tree Grove and a BioWorks Butterfly Garden as well as the Red Baron Café.

The IMAX Dome Theatre at MOSI, a 340-seat theater with an 82-foot hemispherical movie screen, immerses viewers in an experience combining state-of-the-art cinematography and powerful visual imagery.



MEDIA:

1. New Interview from Catfish 103.5 Radio in Tampa: Check the Media Vault


Talyor Hicks is your Teen Angel!
Friday, August 21, 2009


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Beauty school dropout, go back to High School. Step aside Frankie Avalon!


Teen Angel Taylor Hicks is in the house and in Tampa in the musical Grease.

Grease plays at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center through August 23rd.


Tampa Bay On Demand spent some special moments with Taylor, including a reenactment of Beauty School dropout.


We think Virginia Johnson is looking her best.


Hicks told TBOD that he turned down larger Broadway roles because he wanted to gain more acting experience.


Virginia and Taylor talked about his passion for SEC football.


As an Alabama native, Taylor could not discuss whether he loved Alabama or Auburn more. (Note: It is a seriously deep rivalry)


You might notice Hicks looks a little slimmer-- that's all thanks to running and watching what he eats.


He says he lost about 25 pounds since winning Season 5 of the hit show American Idol.


His favorite cheat food?


"I would probably say fried chicken. I was in Atlanta last week, and we hit the soul food joints."


In Tampa, it's Cuban food: "I love black beans!'


Nothing like a little harmonica and SEC football talk to get the feet moving and blood boiling, Thanks Taylor!
All this time on the road makes it hard to have a love life, according to Hicks...it is fun, but it can be hard.


Grease plays through through August 23rd...but Taylor Hick's music is always available!

http://www.baynews9.com/content/34/2009/8/21/510939.html

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2. Radar: Grease at TBPAC
August 5, 2009 at 12:00 am by Franki Weddington

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2009/08/05/radar-grease-at-tbpac/

Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s edition is a perennial favorite that you can’t help singing along to, no matter how hard you try.

Forget what your preacher told you: Grease is the word, and the 50s-era rock ‘n’ roll musical about Danny, a leather-clad, too-cool for school T-Bird, and Sandy, a prim and proper gal from down under, kicks off the 2009-2010 season at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center later this month. Songs like “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightning” and “You’re the One That I Want” that inspired love (or, frequently, intense hate) for John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are reprised for the stage, and in one of the most bizarre casting decisions of all time, Taylor Hicks (of American Idol but decidedly not Just for Men fame) urges beauty school dropouts to “go back to high school” in his role as Teen Angel. Then again, it might be an improvement over the fake-baked, afroed glory of Frankie Avalon.

3. .St. Pete Times

http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/article1026951.ece

Taylor Hicks greasing the skids for a long career
By Marty Clear, Times Correspondent
In Print: Thursday, August 13, 2009

By Marty Clear



For countless American Idol contenders, a good showing on the country's favorite talent contest has been the start of a very brief career.

Season 5 champ Taylor Hicks is determined that his star will glow for years to come.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint, as far as I'm concerned," Hicks said in a phone interview from Fort Lauderdale. "I'm just at the beginning of the marathon."

He was in South Florida with the national tour of Grease, which comes to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center for eight shows starting Tuesday. Hicks plays Teen Angel, a small but prominent role mostly associated with Frankie Avalon, who played Angel in the movie and in several tours.

Hicks said he had his choice of Broadway roles, but Teen Angel was the right role at the right time. He's the biggest name in show, and he's the one who gets the hype in all the advertisements. But because it's a smaller role, he doesn't have to carry a big load in his first Broadway show.

"I had been offered roles previously, before Grease, but I turned them down," Hicks said. "I wanted to start kind of small. I wanted to get my feet wet, learn the business first, not just dive right in."

Hicks' feet were pretty dry for two years until he started in Grease last year.

Fresh off his Idol win in 2006 — Hicks' legion of "Soul Patrol" fans gave him the crown despite an unenthusiastic Simon Cowell — he got the coveted record deal and debut self-titled album. It sold a respectable 700,000-plus copies, but he didn't fare as well as other Idol winners and was dumped by his label in 2008.

His recording career stalled until he started his own label, Modern Whomp, this year and in March released his new album The Distance, spawning two singles.

Which is another reason Hicks likes being Teen Angel. Just like Avalon did, Hicks gets to do a miniconcert of his music at the end of the show. He'll do his new single Seven-Mile Breakdown, which allows Hicks' fans to hear him sing something other Teen Angel's sole song, Beauty School Dropout.

Hicks may be the biggest name in the show, but he's not the only star who will be familiar to fans of TV talent contests. Max Crumm and Laura Owens got their roles by winning NBC's Grease: You're the One That I Want, which was essentially an on-air audition for the roles.

4. St. Pete Times

Teen Angel is still an 'Idol'

By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 17, 2009

TAMPA - The role of Teen Angel in "Grease" has always been a one-song gig.

In the 1978 film version, Frankie Avalon, a teen idol from the 1960s, defined the role when he showed up all dreamy in white to sing "Beauty School Dropout" to the loopy Frenchy.

But with former "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks in the role, the Teen Angel character gets top billing in the production of "Grease" opening Tuesday at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

"This angel plays the harmonica and does a little more than Frankie Avalon did," says Hicks, who sings his current pop single, "Seven Mile Breakdown," during the show's final scenes.

"I found a really great way to introduce my song and have people see me in a different light," he said in a recent phone interview.

"I am very different from the Frankie Avalon version," he adds. "I have made the role my own. I think it's a cutting-edge way to introduce a new song."He performs a medley of "Grease" songs and "Seven Mile Breakdown" during encores.

The new song is from his second post-"Idol" album, "The Distance." It was released by his label, Modern Whomp Records, which launched in January.

The singer says it was a mutual decision to part ways last year with Arista Records and he is happy with his career so far.

"I feel very lucky at this point to have 100 percent control of my music," he says.

Hicks joined "Grease" on Broadway in 2008 and has been touring with a road company. "I've enjoyed it because I get to sing and also I'm exploring acting," he says. He says future acting roles and hosting duties could be in his future.

"It's been a new experience for me, a reinvention and a kind of a comeback," Hicks says. He's committed to "Grease" through June 2010.

"I'm not giving up playing my music," he says. "I talked to Huey Lewis about going back and forth between acting and music. I'm still learning about this wonderful new aspect to my career."

The 32-year-old gray-haired winner of "Idol's" fifth season won over millions of viewers with his laid-back, down-home charm.

His debut album after "American Idol" went platinum and his memoir, "Heart Full of Soul," was published in 2007.

However, Hicks hasn't had the same concert success as other "Idol" winners, such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. His roots are in blues and Southern rock, which has more niche appeal.

His "Soul Patrol" fans come out to see him in the musical. "And I am picking up new fans from people who are coming to see 'Grease,'" he says.

He says the musical, set in the 1950s, suits him. "It's a timeless love story that remains appealing to this day," he says. "Everybody can relate to it."

Hicks, who is from Alabama, says he doesn't have a permanent address. "I have been on the road since I was 17," he says. "I just keep moving, living wherever I am performing."

'GREASE'

http://tboextra.com/content/2009/aug/17/na-teen-angel-is-still-an-idol/tboextra/


5. The Tampa Tribune

Hicks goes for camp in spirited 'Grease' at TBPAC

By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 19, 2009

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/19/hicks-goes-camp-spirited-grease-tbpac/news-breaking/

He descends from the top of the stage encased in a huge ice cream cone. This Teen Angel is a prematurely gray soul singer who adds a touch of campiness to his song.

Channeling both Cary Grant and Frankie Avalon, former "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks plunges in to '50s rock 'n' roll as he croons "Beauty School Dropout" in a spirited production of "Grease" that opened at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Tuesday night.

Hicks, a good old boy from Alabama, doesn't show up until halfway into the second act to appear in a fantasy sequence complete with beauty parlor patrons wearing large cone-shaped hair dryers.

He hammed it up, making goofy faces. And he whipped out a harmonica for a riff, giving it that Hicks' touch. The audience roared when dropout Frenchy cooed to him: "I voted for you."

By that time the audience already had been won over by the cast of young Broadway actors and the familiar music that has made this one of the most enduring musicals in American theater history.

Eric Schneider as greaser Danny and Emily Padgett as good-girl Sandy keep that Rydell High School high school romance brewing while Allie Schultz sizzles as the rough-edged Rizzo. Kate Morgan Chadwick brings the ditzy Frenchy to life and the other Pink Ladies (Kelly Felthous and Bridie Carroll) hit their marks.

Danny's T-Birds (David Ruffin, Nick Verina, Will Bloom and Brian Crum) also are fun to watch.

But Hicks, because of his fame, gets the most attention. It's his face on the poster for this tour.

The season five winner of "Idol" also sang a bit of the title song "Grease" at the close of the show. And after slipping out of his Teen Angel garb, he performed his latest single "Seven-Mile Breakdown" after the last curtain call. And he hung around in the lobby afterward to pose for pictures and sign autographs (but only on his CDs or other Hicks merchandise).

Hicks has no doubt drawn some of his "Soul Patrol" fans to the theater but this production "Grease" would be a kick with or without him.

6. Tampa Bay&Company


Tampa Bay Lightning is Greased this week!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Greetings Tampanians! Jessica here to fill you in on my exciting evening at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center...

As you may recall I was priviledged to witness the Opening Night of Grease the Muscial last night! This production, based on the 1950's summer love of "Danny" & "Sandy" and their senior year at Rydell High, is a melody of classic rock and pop songs you can't help but sing along to!

(But before I continue, one correction I must make from yesterday's blog is American Idol Winner, Taylor Hicks, did not play "Danny Zuko," he appeared as the "Teen Angel"... my apologies for the mistake!)

Nonetheless, the cast was outstanding!! As a Broadway fan myself, this production was certainly comparable in quality -- the costumes, stage set-up, performance, and of course talent were excellent! Although the theatrical/musical production places some songs out of order from the well-known 1978 film production, need not fear because all musical favorites were still included!

My personal favorite last night was the Hand Jive at the Rydell High Dance when WAXX Radio hosted a couples dance competition! Between the live orchestra music and awesome choreography, this scene stole the show in my opinion.... However, the Grease Lightning scene is always a classic and this production was no exception!!

Taylor Hicks was outstanding in his role as Frenchie's Guardian Angel, singing "Beauty School Dropout." In addition, there's a surprise at the end of the show everyone must stick around for!

The show was wonderful and the audience was fully engaged - clapping, singing, and sometimes even getting up to dance! All of which I'm guilty... it's Grease, why not sing along!

So, if you haven't bought your tickets for this Tampa Bay entertainment event, you still have a chance. Grease the Musical will be performed at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center tonight through Sunday at 7:30 pm. For ticket information visit www.tbpac.org. This is a great opportunity to enjoy a live performance and enjoy the beautiful architected Performing Arts Center in Downtown Tampa while you're there!

This Tampa Bay events got enough "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop A-wop-bam-boom" to go around!! Enjoy :)


7. ABC TAMPA 8/19/09

Taylor sings InYourTime in Studio 10.




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Taylor Hicks discusses his role in Grease

Reported by: Marvin Tarver
@abcactionnews.com
Last Update: 9:13 am

TAMPA, FL -- Taylor Hicks won the American Idol competition in 2006 and now he’s trying to win over Broadway fans. Hicks is touring the country with the hit musical, Grease.

The former idol plays the teen angel role made popular by Frankie Avalon in the original hit. Hicks sings, Beauty School Dropout.

“I wanted to start small in acting and theatre and get bigger with the roles,” says Hicks. “I was offered roles previously on Broadway.”

Hicks says the he finds the work challenging but he says there are similarities. “For me it’s like having a brand new toy.”

“I’m so used to riffing off people with harmonicas and guitars,” he says. “Now I’m doing it firsthand from an acting perspective.”

Hicks is also promoting a new album called, The Distance which he produced in Nashville.

Grease runs through August 23, at the Carol Morsani Hall in Tampa.

To see all of Hicks’ interview watch the 7 o’clock hour of Your Tampa Bay Weekend on Saturday.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Taylor-Hicks-discusses-his-role-in-Grease/bxtcxRE6_UKVIwyFViRl5g.cspx?rss=794



Posted Image Schmoozing with the staff



SOUL PATROL MEMORIES :


Cast of Characters: Posted Imagecourtesy of mouser

1. Tweets wisdomhypnosis:
Saw Grease with Taylor Hicks last night, I am still singing. What a great show, so light hearted...


Yes, Taylor is prominently displayed in the lobby, along with our friend Clay :
Posted Imagecourtesy of mouser

Posted Image courtesy of mouser

2. STSlover tweets:

Just came back from seeing Grease with Taylor Hicks at the beautiful Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. It was wonderful.


Where the music comes from; the pit :
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3. mouser

MEMORIES. The good things and the bad things seem to linger in our minds, while the majority of our experiences are lost somewhere in the valley of "so- so land". It takes a certain smell or taste or sight or feeling or sound to bring those latent memories to the forefront.

Last night seeing Grease for the first time with Mr. Hicks , made vivid again the many times I have seen Grease the Musical on stage. Having been to the Broadhurst in the early 70's for the orginal production , the revival in the 90's and now the re-revival in 09 , as well as 6 legitimate summer stock stagings of the show; I am reminded of several things.

1. The star of the show is THE CAR. In every production I have ever seen, the most time and effort has been delegated to making "Greased Lightning " a song and scene to remember.

2. The orginal version had a minimalistic feel about it. As I recall, the sets were simple ; no frills. The shows success or failure depended on the characters and the songs. Teen Angel was just a fleeting scene ; totally unmemorable for me. This was before Frankie , so the role had not yet been highlighted.

3. The 90's revival was a Tommy Tune piece and his avant garde style was apparent from costuming , to staging, to casting. Yes , Rosie was there ( just couldn't buy a Rizzo with her body type )and I am probably remiss in feeling this way. Mr. Tune took the Teen Angel role and channeled THE TEMPTATIONS/ PLATTERS, etc. It was unique and Billy Porter ( whom I didn't know and don't today ) was absolutely fabulous. Still , the scene was very bare bones, with Frenchy just not cutting it for me. It seemed that Mr. Tune tried to update Grease and when something is 1959, you can't update it. Perhaps he was just trying to take away some of the stereotypical conceptions of those years, but things really did happen as depicted in Jim Jacobs' script.

4. During the summer stock season, most of the productions I saw were simply staged, but the sets became grander. Whether this is because many "professional set designer" were free during the summer months to share their talents with local theatre groups or whether the summer stock companies , I saw had budgets that allowed for more elaborate costumes and set, I am not sure. But the emphasis for the success of Grease seemed to broaden with the characters, the songs , the sets and the costumes having more parity. Teen Angel became more of a gimmick role .

5. ALL TEEN ANGELS wore WHITE .

6. Last nights Grease version was thoroughly enjoyable. The cast was having a good time, the sets were "spectacular" ( not Lion King spectacular ) in many scenes, the costumes were realistic , THE CAR was still the dominate piece, but the Teen Angel was a vision in BLACK, channeling Elvis, I presume. The campiness of this Teen Angel has never been done, to my knowledge.


I was a Rydall High School student. Being a senior in late 1959, I wore those dresses with tons of crinolins . I wore the straight skirts with 4 inch cinch belts . I treasured my" virgin pin ". I loved my knee high socks that had rubber bands around the top so I could roll them down once and they would stay up by my knees ( of course , I lost circulation around my kneecaps quite often ) . I loved the duck tails and goose grease; although only the "bad dudes" work the "D" tails. I can't say as anyone put their cigarettes into the front of their track shorts as was done last evening, but in retrospect it would have been a great idea.
I was never a Pink Lady . I like to remember the Patty Simcock's of the world as not quite so "prissy" . We were all a bit gentler/kinder then and throwing erasers was a big deal.

I am looking forward to the next revival of Grease, say in the year 2025. What evolutions will occur and will anyone ever wear BLACK again as the Teen Angel. Will anyone again, play the harp, will anyone again camp up the role as Taylor has done. I hope not. I would like to remember Grease 2009 as a Taylor Hicks vehicle .


By the way , SMB at the end was super and Dominic was "peachy keen".

Posted Imagecourtesy of Clay Connor


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4. mouser


Because actors feed off the audience, I would have to say that Saturday afternoon's performance was superior to Thursday evenings. The theatre was more full and those in attendence were very receptive to and appreciative of the cast . There was a standing ovation at the end of the performance with clapping by all during Seven Mile Breakdown.

Taylor and Dominic seemed to get the biggest applause. I would love to have the opportunity to see Dominic at his dinner theatre in Michigan.... guess that won't happen because I am in Florida, but I wish him the best. The cast does a superlative job vocally. I enjoyed Mr. Ruffin's portrayal of Kinicki better than that of the young man who played him on Saturday. The roles of Doody , Jan, Marty, Sonny , Roger and Frenchy were very well done. While I appreciated the acting chops of Rizzo, I was not particularly thrilled with her interpretation of the role. Rizzo was a bit too harsh ; her soft side did not show through and therefore, her ultimate friendship with Sandy and the bonding with the entire PinkLady/ T-Bird seemed a bit strained.

There was an extensive line in the lobby of those wanting a glimpse of Taylor , who did not disappoint. He is very generous with his time, even when rushed by other commitments.

Thank you to those SP'ers who shared in my afternoon . I truly love this show and will be seeing it again when the next revival comes to Tampa...... just hope I am not too feeble to mobilize myself and that I will still be able to remember those good old days in 1959.

Taylor is a trooper ............I , for one, hope he continues to broaden his acting skills.

Posted ImageCome again, ya hear!!


5. lakerb

It had been about 2 years since I saw Taylor in person--and he's more amazing than ever. Great as Teen Angel and even better as a gracious, caring, charming, sincere man who never lost his beautiful smile as he signed autograph after autograph and posed for picture after picture for fans following the show.

I was literally awe-struck by his charm.... He seemed so relaxed and happy; it was great to see!

I heard too many of the "He's so much better looking/so much cuter in person!" comments to count, and it made me happy to see so many people buying his CD and standing in line to have it autographed.

I'm so happy that Taylor is happy... and I hope every day that his good fortune and amazing ride continue. Good to be a Taylor fan tonite!


Posted Imagecourtesy of tracybraga



6. timewarpnut

This was my first time seeing Grease and I was very impressed with the whole cast! It was really enjoyable, but of course, the most exciting part was Taylor's. The man is truly larger than life as Teen Angel! We had good seats close to the left side of the stage and could easily see his expressive face. He did look like he was having a *lot* of fun with the part! And the audience response was overwhelming. I was so happy to hear the love that Tampa was giving back to him!

And that was nothing compared to the response as he was singing Seven Mile Breakdown. Most of the audience looked to be on their feet and I didn't see anybody leaving.

Posted Imagecourtesy of susanmaczik



From Clay's Facebook

A big wig and some little wigs

Dominic/ The big wig/ Taylor/ Clay
Posted ImageTaken at Burn's Steakhouse. This must be the sommelier.



Greased Lightning I presume??
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